First Cruise in 26 Years

[paradiseken]

Hey Folks!
DW and I are going on a ten-day cruise this Tuesday (Dec. 12th) to the Panama Canal. Stops will be Cozumel, Grand Cayman, Limon, Panama Canal, Cristobal and Montego Bay. It will be on the Coral Princess departing from Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. This will be our first cruise since our honeymoon 26 years ago. Anyone been on this cruise? On our honeymoon cruise, we got seasick and didn't enjoy it very much. I think it was called the Bahama-Rama with NCL.

So, how can we keep from getting the Norovirus or falling overboard? Seems this has been coming up a lot on recent cruises. Thanks.

 

[paradiseken]

My wife and I took a 11 day one to Panama Canal from Houston a few years ago. Most of the same ports. Make sure you snorkel with the Stingrays at Grand Cayman - We liked that the best. When the seas are rough I usually get a bit ill. I take meclazine and it stops most of the motion sickness.

Someone else told me about snorkeling with the stingrays. Thanks CT! I'll check out the meclazine. Thanks again.

 

[Cut-Throat]

I should probably spell it right Meclizine.

http://www.drugs.com/meclizine.html

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Meclizine is a good idea; careful mixing with alcohol, and use it early if you feel queasy (don't wait) and you should be fine. Nowadays even rough seas are barely detectable on the big ship.

Another suggestion: lots of Purell or equivalent for hand disinfection. Those brass banisters and rails are everywhere, and everyone grabs them. I used it before eating and drinking, as well as just for good measure once in a while.

You will enjoy it - sounds like a great intinerary.

 

[Patrick]

I took a similar cruise a few years back. Yes, the stingrays in Grand Cayman are great. It's even better if you scuba dive because you can sit on the sandbar and attract the rays with bait. They'll swim up and eat the bait out of your hand.

In Cozumel there's a national park called Chankanaab where you can snorkel also. There are literally hundreds of tropical fish that will swim right up to you (no fishing allowed in this area). Also, if it's offered, trips to Chitchen-Itza (the great Mayan pyramid) http://www.internet-at-work.com/hos_mcgrane/chichen/chichen_index.html or Playa Del Carmen (where there's a nature park) on the mainland are fun.

You can take diphenhydramine for the motion sickness. It's the same ingredient that's in Benadryl or Sominex. You can just get the cheapest OTC generic sleep aid that has diphenhydramine in it at your local drugstore or Wal-Mart. Bring your drugs with you - medical care on the ship is very expensive.

Have a great time and let us know how it goes.

Edited to add link and fix spelling.

 

[kowski]

Just got back from 7 days in the East Caribean today. We were on the Carnival Triumph. Don't believe any one that says the boat don't rock. The Christmas trees on board looked like they were dancing. And if your leaving today your in for a rougher trip than us cause the wind is a blowin.

 

[Nords]

Meclizine is a good idea; careful mixing with alcohol,

Yeah, the patches are pretty chewy if you're not careful how you swallow your drink. And the alcohol keeps them from sticking behind your ear.

In the last 26 years cruise ships have gotten a LOT bigger with active stabilizers. The rockin' & rollin' will be a lot less and may not cause any problems.

As for the Novovirus, NCL has hand sanitizers at the entrance to every food line. If your ship doesn't have them then you could carry a bottle of your own. Keep washing your hands, try not to touch your mouth/nose/eyes, watch out for the fresh/raw fruit & veggies. But I think the crews are much better at prevention than they were a year or two ago. Just in case you could bring a bottle of Pepto-Bismol or a pack of tablets...

Falling overboard requires some effort and not a little climbing. I wonder how many of those people were "assisted" over the side.. how are you & spouse getting along these days?

 

[Khan]

Falling overboard requires some effort and not a little climbing. I wonder how many of those people were "assisted" over the side.. how are you & spouse getting along these days?

Captains Courageous?

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Yeah, the patches are pretty chewy if you're not careful how you swallow your drink. And the alcohol keeps them from sticking behind your ear.

Nords, meclizine and diphenhydramine are little pills. They are not chewy unless you forget to take them out of the bottle.

But since you mention it , transdermal scopolamine is a patch you stick behind your ear every three days. It is probably more effective for prevention, but is quite expensive and has some side effects.

I once had a patient who cruised and got some patches from her son-in-law. I got a call from the ship's doctor inquiring about whether she had a seizure histiory since she had one on the ship. After some probing questions of her daughter who was with her, we figured out what probably happened: she made the mistake of applying the patches daily (not every 3) and also failed to remove the old patch before applying the new. Scopoloamine poisoning.

 

[Nords]

Nords, meclizine and diphenhydramine are little pills. They are not chewy unless you forget to take them out of the bottle.

Yeah, that punchline flopped at the Comedy Club's open-mike night, too...

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

Yeah, that punchline flopped at the Comedy Club's open-mike night, too...

 

[REWahoo]

But since you mention it , transdermal scopolamine is a patch you stick behind your ear every three days...and has some side effects.

DW has used td scop on our last three cruises. Her only complaint the first two times she used them was that she suffered from dry mouth. The last time they caused hallucinations. As she dropped off to sleep she would do unusual things like sit up in bed and start steering her car.

Not sure she wants to use them next time.

 

[Rich_by_the_Bay]

DW has used td scop on our last three cruises. Her only complaint the first two times she used them was that she suffered from dry mouth. The last time they caused hallucinations. As she dropped off to sleep she would do unusual things like sit up in bed and start steering her car.

... this being why I rarely if ever prescribe them. Classic example of the cure being worse than the disease.

 

[REWahoo]

And if you think that these big boats won't rock, you should have been with us...

I always thought the end of that sentence was supposed to be "...on our honeymoon!"

 

[Nords]

The biggest Mega Ships in the World. And if you think that these big boats won't rock, you should have been with us in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico with 60 knot winds and 35 foot waves!

You're paying how much for the privilege of storm cruising?!? You should see what the Navy does to ship's meteorologists who send the navigators through that stuff.

Worst we've ever seen out here is the voyage to Fanning Island, two days at 26 knots, and maybe an occasional foot or two heave in random directions. Interisland is so smooth you hardly know you're underway.

 

[Cut-Throat]

You're paying how much for the privilege of storm cruising?!? You should see what the Navy does to ship's meteorologists who send the navigators through that stuff.

Worst we've ever seen out here is the voyage to Fanning Island, two days at 26 knots, and maybe an occasional foot or two heave in random directions. Interisland is so smooth you hardly know you're underway.

We've crossed the Atlantic from Florida into the Caribbean a few times and it's almost always rough in February. Most of the time the waves are 15-20 feet. Sitting in the entertainment theaters in the evening when the ship has lifted it's stablizers and is underway, you can 'lose your breath' as a Megaship (70,000 gross tons) bobs up and down in the waves. Everyone gasps in unison as the ship falls to the bottom of the wave. Hard to believe from a ship that is 14 stories tall!

 

[REWahoo]

...you can 'lose your breath' as a Megaship... bobs up and down... ...Everyone gasps in unison...

C-T, cut it out. We've already heard enough about your honeymoon cruise.

 

[Cut-Throat]

C-T, cut it out. We've already heard enough about your honeymoon cruise.

Yeah - And there is that too! - Don't come a Knockin when this Ship is a Rockin!

 

[Nords]

We've crossed the Atlantic from Florida into the Caribbean a few times and it's almost always rough in February. Most of the time the waves are 15-20 feet. Sitting in the entertainment theaters in the evening when the ship has lifted it's stablizers and is underway, you can 'lose your breath' as a Megaship (70,000 gross tons) bobs up and down in the waves. Everyone gasps in unison as the ship falls to the bottom of the wave.

We've never had that problem on the interisland cruises, and if we did I'd be the first one begging for a patch or a pill. That's why I joined the submarine force instead of the surface line.

"Diving Officer, this sucks. Make your depth 600 feet!"

 

[paradiseken]

This Forum is too, too much. I always get my daily laughs along with great advice. Thanks everyone, especially the clowns.

DW and I leave tomorrow and I'll try not to lean too far over the railing while gazing out to sea. Ya know, it would double her net worth if I were to fall overboard. Ha! Ha! Ha!

 

[spike]

I have taken a similar cruise to the Canal twice, very interesting. Just remember to cover all your skin while sitting on the deck. Sun poisoning is very common. Happened to me, even with sunscreen on and I have my own tanning bed. I got the top of my feet burned. When I arrived home my daughter whom is in the medical field told me to go to the doctor immediately. My doctor thought it was funny and told me how he got toasted in Africa.

But anyhow I use sanitizer after I read the menu and often during the day. I carry the packets and use them frequently. Do not drink tap water on ship.

Also medication for sea sickness is free usually at the pursers office, take medication before you feel sick, lay flat on a bed, and order bland food in bed. Apples and salt crackers are great.

Two years ago while cruising around Australia the Norwegian Dream had glass blown out from waves over the ship. I have been on ships that rocked so much you could hardly walk down the halls without sliding your hand down the walls, for stabilization.

I don't mean to scare you, but just be prepared, even the coast of Florida can get ruff. I remember one time the band was sick, and they are on board for months.

Also in Mexico renting the Jeeps and racing around the beach is a blast.

Enjoy your trip

 

[LIPhotoMan]

No one mentioned the best preventative for sea sickness - SeaBands.
They are acupressure devices - elastic bands worn on the wrist that create pressure at te point to cure nausea - also used for the nausea of pregnancy.

I've been on many many cruises - some in extrememly rough seas. On my first cruise we went right through a ful fledged hurricane. All the other ships turned around, but the crazy captain of the SS Norway went through it. Most of the crew was ill. The decks were pretty empty, but we noticed that most of us who were not ill were wearing SeaBands.
Another cruise I was OK & not needing them, but met someone who was quite green & not handling the sea very well. Gave her my Sea Bands, and by the evening she could not stop thanking me for saving her cruise.

Off next week on a fairly small ship - Regent Voyager - for Belize, Chichen Itza, Cozumel, Roatan, Santo Tomas. Can't Wait.

 

[mickeyd]

DW and I are planning a cruise in July to Alaska for 2 weeks. I just found out that the citizens of Alaska think so much of all of the cruisers that they have approved a $50/head Cruise passenger tax that is effective 1/1/07. Evidently they have not grasped the concept that tourists with large sums of spendable cash is in itself, a rather easy way to finance many citizens throughout the long winters.

But the good people of Alaska want more...

 

[Patrick]

Gotta keep out the non-marijuana-smoking riff-raff!

 

[paradiseken]

Hi Folks!
DW and I are back from our "First Cruise in 26 Years". What a blast! Weather was perfect and the waves mild. Didn't need any medication for sea-sickness. The Coral Princess had decent stablizers and rocked very little, except for us . We visited Cozumel Mexico, Grand Cayman, Limon Costa Rica, Panama Canal and Old Panama City, Cristobel and Ocho Rio Jamaica during our 10-day cruise. All the shore tours were exceptional, expecially the Sloth Preserve in Costa Rica. We also liked climbing Dunn's Falls in Ocho Rio except that the rubber shoes I rented for the climb were so tight that it felt like my big toes were being pushed out the back of my heels. We did notice that most natives at the ports-of-call wanted to quickly relieve us of our money. We were careful and only bought things that will eventually sell in a yard sale. Actually, jewelry was a good deal and I bought DW a nice ring an earrings. Got tired of going into jewelry stores though. Not too many stores carried guy stuff. Did buy a few Cuban cigars and smuggled them back into the states. Haven't tried them yet. One funny story in Grand Cayman. We took a tour with a local to Hell and back (yes, Hell is an actual place...I'll post pictures later). One elderly lady with a walker was with us. We were in a minivan and she had difficulty getting into and out of the van. We helped her, but noticed she was having more and more difficulty as the tour progressed. Well, it seems our lady with the walker was nipping wine at each stop. She went through about four small bottles of wine by the end of the tour. God bless her. She had fun.

Thanks to all on this board for your advice. One final note to all thinking of going on a cruise. Stay away from folks with walkers and STAY OUT OF THE BINGO PARLOR!!! Those old coots take it seriously.